During Thanksgiving week, 11 high schoolers from Four Rivers Charter in Greenfield plugged in with Help Yourself for four days spent preparing for a potential zombified future. Planting edibles around the valley was one available 'intensive' offered at the school, a twice a year, four day elective project or experience.After a week of digging, massaging cramped root balls and mulching, we got the last of ALL of this years seemingly endless potted or bare root plants in the ground! Whew...Four Rivers purchased many of the trees fromHadley Garden Center, who also generously donated persimmons to the cause. Tripple Brook Farm also donated a number of flats of perennials, and Bug Hill Farm contributed dozens of native pollinating bushes.

Planting @ North Star

All told, we got a lot in the ground: 28 fruit trees, 10 grapes, more than 50 berry bushes, and 40 pollinator bushes!Our mission began in Hadley, where we got to plant at the World Food Market (who's back yard abuts the bike path) - the first of hopefully many businesses to participate in 'edible exit' plantings off the rail trail. We planted

Along the way we basked in the Smith Botanical Garden and made a requisite pilgrimage to Tripple Brook Farm to load up on plants, help cut bamboo, and feast on prickly pears. Go team!Check out all the empty pots!

This post really caught my eyes and I can say that these people really prepare for the zombie apocalypse. I may say that this is a reading that might not be understood by other people for it has that topic that people don't want to talk about. Preparations like this are very exciting.